Going for gold: $360m arena part of Townsville’s pitch for Olympics funding

A new $360m entertainment arena is among the priorities Townsville’s leaders are calling for ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. SEE THE WISH LIST

Townsville MP Adam Baillie, Thuringowa MP Natalie Marr, Townsville Sailing Club President John Byrne, Olympian and Councillor Suzy Batkovic, Member for Dawson Andrew Wilcox, Member for Herbert Phillip Thompson and Mundingburra MP Janelle Poole. on the Strand. Picture: Evan Morgan

A new $360 million entertainment arena is among the priorities Townsville’s leaders are calling for ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

Joining forces to ensure North Queensland gets its “fair share” of funding, all three levels of government have supported a proposal put to Premier David Crisafulli’s Olympics board.

Spearheaded by councillor and former Olympian Suzy Batkovic, Townsville City Council formed the Townsville 2032 Legacy Working Group to ensure infrastructure funding is “not only given to the southeast corner”.

After Mr Crisafulli announced the appointment of the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority board in November — which locals Jamie Fitzpatrick and Laurence Lancini sit on — a 100-day review into the 2032 Olympic Games began.

Council’s legacy group includes representatives from the North Queensland Cowboys, the Oceania Athletics Association, Sporting Wheelies and Townsville Enterprise, responsible for pinpointing the priority projects to benefit the city ahead of the Olympics, during the Games and well into the future.

An artists' impression of the new Townsville Entertainment Arena, part of the Townsville 2032 Legacy Working Group's submission to Premier David Crisafulli.

The major priority as part of Townsville’s submission is a $360 million Townsville Entertainment Arena, which would replace the current entertainment and convention centre and home of the Townsville Fire, which Cr Batkovic says is reaching its “end of life”.

“We do need a new arena and I think there’s benefits for the community but also for athletes, making sure they have facilities here that they can train in and bringing events into Townsville for the economic boost as well,” she said.

The current Townsville Entertainment Centre. Picture: Evan Morgan

Asking for $180 million from both the state and federal governments, Cr Batkovic said the arena would provide sporting and economic opportunities well into the future.

“The things that we have submitted here aren’t just on the Olympics per say, it’s about the lasting legacy of infrastructure for our community, for long after the Olympics that our community can benefit from,” she said.

Cr Batkovic said having local, state and federal governments on the same page was important for the future of Townsville.

“I am proud that all three levels of government are here together for the benefit of the community and seeing a way forward to making things better in our community,” she said.

‘If you can see it, you can be it’

A former Olympian herself, Cr Batkovic said having the infrastructure to boost local, national and international sporting games meant inspiring the next generation of Aussie sports stars here in North Queensland.

“I was a kid from Newcastle and we didn’t have a national women’s basketball team. How I was inspired was watching an NBL team in Newcastle back when we had the Falcon days and I sat in the stands with my family,” she said.

“If you can see it you can be it, having that opportunity for our kids first-hand to see it and then be inspired and chase their dreams.”

Suzy Batkovic goes to the basket in the Beijing Olympics 2008.

Funding of $55 million has also been requested for “much needed” upgrades to parking, pedestrian crossings, lighting, shading and playing surfaces at the Murray Sporting Complex, upgrades to Riverway Stadium and more facilities for the Townsville Aquatic Precinct, which would serve as the home of the Townsville Sailing Club.

Townsville Sailing Club president John Byrne said more infrastructure was needed along The Strand to attract major sailing and watersport championships to the region.

“We already have a history over the last number of years of (smaller) Australian championships and world championships here in this venue,” he said.

Mr Byrne said the tourism and economic benefit that would come from attracting larger world-class competitions to The Strand would be “enormous”.

“What the overseas competitors are saying to us is that we are running small world championships now and we are doing a great job of it, but if you had a bigger facility here we would be able to run massive world championships,” he said.

Townsville Sailing Club President John Byrne with Olympian and Councillor Suzy Batkovic on the Strand. Picture: Evan Morgan

Townsville Olympic sailor Breiana Whitehead and members of the Townsville Yacht Club have already called for 2032 Olympic sailing events to be held in Townsville, where conditions are more favourable than around Brisbane.

NQ’s sporting hub potential

Federal Member for Herbert Phil Thompson said there had been a lot of debate and criticism about the Olympics, but said it was important to ensure that Townsville “isn’t forgotten about”.

Mr Thompson recently spoke on the demand from locals to upgrade the lighting at Riverway Stadium to host world-class cricket matches, AFL and AFLW.

“It’s extremely disappointing, because Townsville is the capital of North Australia, and to have professional sport – whether it be cricket, whether it be AFL – bypass Townsville because we don’t have the lights that would support television production, is extremely disappointing,” Mr Thompson said on Thursday.

Cricket North Queensland president Peter Busch and Federal member for Herbert Phillip Thompson are campaigning for lighting upgrades at Riverway Stadium. Picture: Shae Beplate.

“We are here to say that Townsville must be first, because whether you are all the local government, state or the feds, we must work together to ensure that Townsville has legacy items that will be for future generations.”

Mr Thompson said there was no point having an Olympic Games unless there was follow-through and said Townsville should serve as a sports hub for Queensland.

“You shouldn’t have to leave Townsville to go to Brisbane or go to Sydney to compete in a sport or to train. We should have it here,” he said.

“The community has said to us this is important and it’s our job as representatives to voice their concerns, but also to fight for them every single day.”

“We have a fantastic football team in the Cowboys, we have a fantastic basketball team in the Fire, but we need a fantastic team in every sport.”

Fighting for our share

Townsville MP Adam Baillie said Townsville would also serve as a great training base to allow for athletes to climatise and prepare ahead of the Olympics.

“As we get closer to 2032, countries will be looking to ensure they give their athletes every opportunity to perform at their best during the Olympics,” Mr Baillie said.

“Townsville is a city that will provide athletes with the ability to get accustomed to our time-zone, acclimatised to our weather and in the lead up to the games get their bodies primed to perform on the big stage.”

Australian Olympic waterpolo player Elle Armit in her backyard pool in Townsville. PICTURE: MATT TAYLOR.

Noting the demand for state-of-the-art sports facilities, Mundingburra MP Janelle Poole said the goal was to create the infrastructure needed to nurture the talent of future Olympians.

“It’s about building those legacies for our young people, because we have had people from here in Townsville represent at the Olympics, and we have some exceptionally talented young people and they will go on and represent their country,” she said.

Ms Poole said in her role as Assistant Minister for North Queensland it was important to fight for infrastructure that would benefit the whole north of the state.

“It’s not just the community of Townsville that will benefit, it will be Ingham, Charters Towers, Ayr, the Burdekin ... everybody benefits and that’s my role to be the thorn in the side of the money makers down in the southeast Queensland and get our fair share here,” she said.

Thuringowa MP Natalie Marr said it was an exciting opportunity to “do what’s right for the city”.

“This funding request from the council isn’t just about the Olympics, it’s about the years before the Olympics and the future of Townsville and our generational sport,” she said.

“This is something that is crucial to make sure that we get our share in regional Queensland and the way to do that is have the three levels of government in our city working together to make sure we get that fair share.”

Olympics for all of Queensland

Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox said when the three levels of government get together it garners “better results”, and said he wanted the Games to have a Queensland focus.

“Originally when Premier Palaszczuk pitched the Olympics, it was going to be the Olympics for all of Queensland. I want that to continue, I want this to be an Olympics for all of Queensland,” he said.

Mr Willcox said Townsville was perfectly placed and would serve as a possible location of a pre-Olympics trials and training hub.

“Even if we don’t attract any sports when the actual Games are on, we want teams to acclimatise, people to come and also to show what we have to offer on the world stage,” he said.

Originally published as Going for gold: $360m arena part of Townsville’s pitch for Olympics funding